A Legionary’s account of a trip across Italy to assist in the Papal Mass in Padua.

The Pope's arrival to Padua was greeted by a sizeable crowd.

June 6, 2011. Rome, Italy. One of the “perks” of
studying for the priesthood in Rome is that there are
opportunities to serve in papal Masses. This past May 8,
a group of 12 Legionary religious went to the city
of Padua to help distribute communion during a papal Mass
with 300,000 people in attendance. The trip began with a
community Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, followed by
a stopover in Venice and then Padua.

Legionary religious Br Thomas
Flynn, who will be ordained to the transitional deaconate in
Rome on July 2, tells the story and shares the
photos with his family and friends in a newsletter entitled
"Venice, Padua, and the Pope."

An excerpt is presented below. To
read the rest of the newsletter, click here.

***

Dear
Friends and Family in Christ,

Greetings from Rome! I wanted to
send all of you a note to let you know
about the many graces I received this past weekend. Sure,
being in the seminary can be tough at times but
it does have its perks every now and again. Hope
you enjoy:

On Saturday we all jumped on a bus and
headed for St. Peter’s Basilica early in the morning. While

Br Thomas Flynn, LC, with a Venetian parking lot in the background.

the city was not yet awake we arrived at the
doors of the giant church and waited our turn to
enter. Once inside, all 400 of us rushed to the
altar of St. Sebastian for a Mass that none of
us will forget…